No Mercy
by RulerofFire
Summary: Set near the end of the 'Blood Harvest' campaign. Sometimes humanity is more mutated than the Infected themselves.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors's Notes - **Now I shall try my hand at a Left 4 Dead story! Reviews determine how much effort I put into chapter 2 ;)

**Disclaimer - **I do not own Left 4 Dead in any way, shape, or form.

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The forest was eerily silent. Whether that was a good or bad thing, the survivors didn't care. They were just glad that no Infected were around to disturb them. The only thing that could possibly ruin the silence was-

"I hate silence." -Francis.

Zoey, Louis, and Bill all just rolled their eyes, not wanting to encourage the biker, only wanting to continue their trek through the forest in relative peace. The next interruption of the quiet however, was a noise that made them stop dead in their tracks.

"Hold on people, there's a Hunter nearby." Bill stated, holding his hand up to stop the group.

The distinctive cough of a Smoker also was enough to make the group huddle closer together in a circle, making it possible to see in all directions.

"Great, a sweatshirt wearing wuss and a walking cigarrette. Come on out and fight like men!"

Louis nudged Francis's arm and sternly said, "Quiet man! You wanna alert the horde? We've been fine so far, so a couple of specials shouldn't be a problem."

Francis mumbled something about hating optimists and moved forward slowly. Bill quickly took the lead and lead the group through the forest towards a farmhouse in the distance. Each of them silently noted that the closer they got to the house, the louder the Smoker and Hunter noises became. Their steps became more cautious as they walked into a clearing and came into full view of the house.

Zoey was the first to look up and notice, "Hey look! There's smoke! Someone must be around here!"

"No," Bill corrected, "That smoke isn't coming from the chimney, and its very thin. Looks more like a Fire has been recently put out." He directed the group towards the back of the farmhouse where the smoke was originating from. Again, the Infected's coughing and howling were getting louder.

"Those pansies are definitely around here somwhe-" Francis couldn't even finish his sentence as they stepped around the corner and came to a sight that none of them had ever seen before.

The Hunter and Smoker they had been hearing were right in front of them, although they weren't rearing for an atack or ambush. Both Infected looked as if they were in great distress and it quickly became clear that the screams of the Hunter were actually pained yelps while the Smoker's coughing was it trying to gasp for air.

"Dear God...what happened to them?" Zoey's question was left unanswered as she and her comrades took in the sight before them.

The Hunter was hog-tied with thick rope, its thrashing enough to cause chaffing to its wrists and ankles. Its hood had also been pushed back, showing the face of a young man with black hair, albeit with bangs covering feral red eyes that darted around wildly.

The Smoker looked worse off. Both his hands and feet were tied as well, but his tongue was also wrapped around a barbed wire fence, and something was stuck in his mouth, not only to prevent him from biting his appendage off, but also to prevent him from getting enough air. The tumors that usually occupied a Smoker's face also weren't there. It looked as if they had been cut off and had left the entire left side of his face bloody and mishapen.

The Smoker sensed them first. His one good eye slowly opened and looked towards the group. He gave a short wheeze before closing his eye and turning his head away from them.

Bill blinked a few times to regain his composure, before taking a few cautious steps in the direction of the trapped Infected.

"Bill, what are you-" Zoey began, but a finger to his lips told her to be quiet.

He was only able to take a few more steps forward before the Hunter finally noticed him, stopped thrashing, and looked him in the eye. Instead of giving off a warning growl or snapping at the survivor, the Hunter gave a sort of whine and tried to shuffle backwards to no avail.

The veteran's eyes left the Infected and fixed themselves on the bear trap a few feet from the Hunters bloody right leg. He quickly came to the conclusion that the Hunter must have gotten caught in the trap and whoever was here last had managed to tie him up like this.

"Francis, do you have a pocketknife?"

"Yeah, why do you..." The realization dawned on him, "Wait a minute! You plannin' on cuttin' that thing loose? Have you finally lost your mind old man?"

"This 'thing' used to be human. I'm inclined to believe that if we save them, they won't attack us." Before Francis could retaliate, he continued, "Besides, I don't think either of them are in good enough shape to kill us." He held his hand out, expecting the pocketknife.

Francis hesitated for a second before grumbling something incomprehensible, taking a switchblade out of his vest pocket, and putting it in Bill's waiting hand.

Bill crouched down and inched his way towards the Hunter, who proceeded to whine louder and eye the knife with definite fear. When the knife came inches from the Hunter's wrists, the Infected snapped his jaws as far as he could reach towards Bill's outstretched hand.

After retreating his hand for a moment, he called Louis over, "Son, grab his head and hold him down. And put that hood back over his eyes so he can't see me or the knife."

Louis reluctantly put his pistols back in the holsters and bent down near the Hunter's head. With the Hunter's eyes never leaving Bill or the knife, it was easy for Louis to grab and hold his head steady. It was getting the hood back over the struggling Infected's face that was the challenge.

When Louis finally got the Hunter blindfolded, Bill brought the knife close to it's bound limbs again. As soon as the tip of the switchblade touched the rope, he made a quick slicing motion outwards and freed the lethal claws and powerful legs from bondage.

Louis and Bill quickly backed up and away from the Hunter as he sat up and immediately swiped his claws at the air as if attempting to ward off the onlookers.

With their guns reequipped, the Survivors watched as the Hunter got on all fours and crouched towards the forest away from them, before falling back down on its side and yelping in agonizing pain.

"I reckon whoever laid that bear trap out was a former game hunter and has other traps strewn around here. It'd be best to watch our step." Another pained howl. "I think he may have left these two to die here."

As Bill started moving towards the Smoker, Francis's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. "Alright hold on old man! Sure you freed the Hunter, but he ain't goin' anywhere. But a Smoker? He'll regrow that tongue, snatch us up, and drag us away in the forest! Now, give me the knife back before you do anything stupid." He extended his hand as Bill had and waited for the knife.

Bill's stare bore into Francis, with the biker not realeasing eye contact as well. That meant that he didn't see Bill's hand slowly moving towards his gun holster before it was too late.

Bill's armed hand aimed at the Smoker's tongue and shot, piercing through the tongue and freeing the Smoker, who dropped to the ground coughing up the unknown object and inhaling large breaths of air.

The veteran tossed the closed knife to Francis, who clumsily caught it and stuffed it back into his vest pocket. Bill had now taken out another cigarrette, lit it, and made his way over to the still wheezing Smoker. Whan he got close, the Infected looked up at him with what Bill thought was a glimmer of humanity and gratefulness in its eye. He turned back to look at the other three, blowing out a puff of smoke in amusement at the expressions of his team.

It was Zoey who made a realization first, "Guys, we have to remember that they're not actual zombies. These Infected are still people. They're just...y'know, _Infected_. They're sick is all. Bill's right, maybe if we help them, they'll remember that they'e not just mindless zombies."

While Louis seemed to agree, Francis of course still had his doubts, "So you all think that these _vampires _might actually give a damn? You've got to be kiddin' me! We've been shootin' our way through hordes of these guys, and it only takes a coulpe of helpless specials to make you change your minds? C'mon, these two are no different than-" Francis cut his rant short when he glanced behind Bill. "Watch your back old man!" He shouted with his gun once again at the ready.

Bill turned at Francis's sudden outburst and was met with a now standing Smoker. The veteran briefly wondered how the Smoker had cut itself loose, but he immediately thought it best not to dwell too much on that thought.

The Smoker was still wheezing more than a normal Smoker, and the blood on its face was now slowly dripping and forming a small puddle at its feet. It also looked a bit paler than most of the Infected, but he guessed that was due to the blood loss. The Smoker didn't seem to be in anymore pain though and was content with just standing there watching them.

The Hunter on the other hand, after a brief period of rest, had started trying to stand up as well. Unfortunately, every time it put weight on its right leg, it'd fall back over and whimper in pain.

"Well," Zoey started, "if we're serious about helping them, we might as well try to patch them up a bit right?" With a nod from Bill, she pointed towards the farmhouse. "Then maybe there are supplies in there that we can use."

Before Francis could go on another rant about misusing their supplies though, the Smoker started coughing and goaning before spitting up a mouthful of blood and collapsing in front of them. The Hunter had even stopped whining and looked crestfallen at the loss of its comrade.

"Louis, help me carry him inside the house!" Bill gave orders as he rushed over to the fallen Infected and turned him over onto his back. "Grab his legs and be careful! We don't know if there are anymore bear traps around here." He grabbed the Smoker's shoulders and started carrying him towards the farmhouse.

"What about the Hunter? We can't leave him out here!" Zoey pointed out, casting a pitiful look at the softly whimpering creature.

Bill didn't slow his pace down as he instructed, "If you think you can carry him in, then do it. I'd ask Francis to help you, but chances are he won't do jackshit."

"I'm standing right here old man! I can hear you!" He glared at Bill before turning back to Zoey. "You really want to help this thing? It's just gonna kill us later..." At Zoey's stern look towards him, he submissively put up his hands. "Alright, whatever. But if this thing rips us to shreds in our sleep, don't say I didn't tell you." He finally bent down to assist Zoey into getting the Hunter back on its feet without getting scratched by its menacing claws.

Even though the Hunter had reluctantly let the two lift him up and carry him to the house, his primal instincts wanted so badly to tear into them both, so it was difficult to stop the numerous growls that escaped its throat.

Francis could only sigh, wonder how he got himself in this situation to begin with, and say what had quickly become his catchphrase:

"I hate Hunters."

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**Author's notes - **I'm thinking of making the second chapter a flashback as to what the Infected were treated to before the other Survivors showed up. Reviews are always greatly appreciated! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes - **Wow! Heh, didn't expect this story to become so popular so fast! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as you did the first! :)

**Disclaimer - **Left 4 Dead isn't, and never will be, mine.

_Warning! Major overuse of the pronoun 'he'!_

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The human was close.

Another sniff in the air.

Very close.

Pretty soon the human would be close enough to pounce on. Once he was pinned, he would be ripped, torn apart, shredded, sliced into strips of human meat.

The feast was going to be good tonight. His coughing companion would be able to enjoy the meal as well...after he ate first of course.

He crept closer.

He could smell something burning. That meant the human was near a source of Fire and he would have to tread carefully. He had seen what happened to his bretheren when they were set ablaze. Pain. Lots of pain.

A familiar cough brought his attention back to the task at hand. His companion was close, probably hiding somewhere in the trees. Everything should go according to plan.

He crept even closer.

He could hear the human now. Humming something he no longer recognized. Unaware of the danger slowly coming up behind him.

He was close enough to attack...

Close enough to rip...

Close enough to-

The blood-curdling screech of a Hunter snapped the human out of his daydream as he stood and spun around to face his foe.

"Well, well, well," The man said with a growing smirk on his face, "What do we got here?"

He bent over to casually pick up his sawed-off shotgun and a beer, and staggered over to the Hunter.

"Looks like you got caught in my trap boy. Heh, I knew one of you freaks was gonna be prowling around here eventually. It was only a matter of time." He pointed the barrel of the gun at the Hunter's face and put his finger on the trigger.

When the Hunter heard the click of that dangerous boomstick, he stopped pawing at the trap and turned to meet the weapon mere inches from his face. This was it. His prey had won.

The barrel edged towards the rim of the creature's hood and flipped upwards, revealing the Hunter's face and shaggy appearance.

The Hunter immediately put its bloody hands to it's face in a pitiful attept to try and shield and hide himself from the growing danger before him.

The man took a large swig of his beer and moved the shotgun directly onto the Hunter's forehead.

"Boom, headshot."

That was all he said before pulling the gun away, backing up to his campFire, and chucking the now empty beer bottle into the Fire pit.

The Hunter removed his hands once he sensed the boomstick was gone and the human was no longer near him. His relief was short lived though, as the man untangled a thick rope and started towards him again.

After neary ten minutes of wrestling with the Hunter and avoiding sharp calws, the man stepped back to admire his work. He had managed to tie both its hands and feet together, before successfully binding all four limbs together in a hog-tied position. The Hunter continued to struggle, but the blood losss from its leg and the mini wrestling match had left it weary and much weaker than before.

"Ah great, you broke the trap's hinge." The man said, glancing over at the bloody and broken bear trap. "Oh well. Plenty more where that came from."

The human turned back towards his campFire once more, satisfied that the threat had been neutralized. When he bent down to put the knife he had used to cut the rope back in his bag though, a new sound caught his attention.

A cough in the distance.

"So, ya brought company huh?" The man, more or less, said to the Hunter. "Well come on then, they can play too." He purposely stayed crouched down next to his bag, pretending he hadn't heard the cough and waiting for just the right moment...

The rustle of the tree leaves gave the Smoker away and so as soon as it's tongue shot out to grab the crouching human, it was too late to retract as the man quickly rolled backwards out of the way and slashed at the appendage laying useless on the ground with the knife.

The Smoker, surprised by the human's dodge, had forgotten to bite its tongue off to regrow a new one. When the human slashed his tongue though, the sharp pain made him coherent enough to start trying to bite his tongue off.

"Oh no you don't!" The man said when he saw the Smoker chewing on its tongue, "You ain't gettin' away from me!" He then grabbed the slimy appendage and started yanking on it. Despite the Smokers good balance on the tree limb, one sharp tug was all it took to bring the Infected back down to ground level.

The man started pulling on the tongue some more, dragging the dazed Smoker towards him. When the Infected finally got his senses back, it was too late. The human grabbed the long tongue and started wrapping it around the barbed wire fence he had used to prevent common Infected from getting in.

The Smoker's tongue was starting to go numb with pain as he attempted to bite it off again.

"Well now, we can't let you bite your tongue off, now can we?" The man finished tying a knot around the fence with the tongue before picking up a decent sized rock and ramming down the Smoker's throat. "Try to bite it off now, poofball."

The rock not only prevented the Smoker from biting its tongue, but it also prevented a lot of air to be inhaled. Immediately, the usual coughing and wheezing became more violent and desperate. This of course was the perfect opportunity for the man to tie down the Smoker as well, and fulfill a lifelong dream.

"Y'know, I always wanted to be a surgeon. Never had the money to go to a fancy college though." The man held the knife in front of the Smoker's face. The Infected briefly stopped struggling to eye the sharp blade. "So how 'bout I remove these tumors for ya? Oh, I gotta tell ya; this is going to hurt you a LOT more than its gonna hurt me."

The Hunter could only watch as his companion's face was cut up and deformed by this mad man's blade.

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**Author's notes - **Huh, the flashback chapter is a bit shorter than what I wanted it to be. Oh well.

If anyone can guess where the line "I always wanted to be a surgeon" came from, you get a nice big virtual cookie! Yummeh! :D

Chapter 3 will bring us back to the present day and how the survivors deal with two bloody and beaten Infected.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes - **Hopefully this chapter will be a bit longer than the last one. A bit more of the flashback in the beginning, but it'll go back to the present later on. Reviews are always appreciated! :)

**Disclaimer - **I _wish _I owned Left 4 Dead.

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The sun was starting to rise over the forests' treeline. The smoke from the night before being the only evidence of a recent campFire. All was silent. There wasn't even a sign of life coming from the two tied up Infected, who had passed out sometime in the middle of the night. There was no disturbance at all.

Until the farmhouse door swung open and the click of a shotgun's safety being released was heard.

Both Infected nearly jumped out of their skin as the loud 'BOOM' of the shotgun sounded throughout the entire area, the forest finally coming to life as startled birds and the Hunter's pained howl broke the tranquil quiet.

"Ah, shut up!" Another blast from the shotgun, this time mere inches from the Hunter's face. The Infected gave a quiet yelp and softly whimpered, not daring to anger this dangerous human further.

The man slung his gun over his shoulder and grabbed a beer from the cooler he was carrying. While he chugged down half of his beer in one gulp, he walked over to the pickup truck parked near a forest trail and started the ignition while putting the cooler and shotgun in the passenger seat.

He chugged the rest of his beer before turning around and glaring at the two Infected.

"Y'know, I should just shoot the both of you now, so anyone passing by don't have to deal with the two of ya." He looked up at the sky where a flock of crowswere circling overhead. "But, I think I'll just leave ya to the birds. They'll get good pickin's out of you."

He laughed at the paniced looks from the Infected before getting in his truck and rolling down the window while starting to drive away.

"It's been fun, but I gotta get to the safe zone before this baby runs out of gas. Later freaks!" He chucked the empty beer bottle out the window and hit the gas, laughing some more when he saw the bottle shatter on the Smoker's shoulder through the rearview mirror.

The last thing the Hunter and Smoker saw of him was his middle finger hanging out the once again.

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The Hunter had tolerated the humans carrying him inside the farmhouse and laying him down on the couch. What he _didn't _tolerate was having his pants cut with the sharp, shiny object the gruff looking man insisted on using. After a slight struggle though, one hard shove from the man was all it took to get the Hunter to stop resisting their help. He still squirmed in discomfort every now and then, but the pink hooded girl seemed content with gently squeezing his shoulders and petting his arm, soothing words even coming from her mouth whenever he whimpered.

Once Francis had cut the sweatpants up to the knee, his usual pessimism came back. "Y'know, I may be a cop, but I ain't no doctor. Unless you know how to stitch up this thing's ankle, I might as well just amputate it."

"What? No! We're not amputating his foot Francis! And as a matter of fact, I DO know how to stitch wounds. It was kind of a requirement to take a first aid class at my college."

Francis stared at Zoey with a look of disbelief on his face (and obvious disappointment), before looking up to where Louis and Bill were tending to the still unconsious Smoker. "Are you guys done yet? Doctor Zoey over here is probably gonna need some of the supplies your hogging!"

Louis merely made an 'Uh-huh' sound before tossing a roll of bandages over his shoulder and continuing with his work on the Smoker.

Zoey caught the roll and stared at the small amount of wrap they had given her. "Umm, are there any more bandages? Maybe a full roll instead of this little thing?" She unrolled the remainder of the wrap, which turned out to be only two-three feet long. "This isn't going to be long enough to cover the entire injury."

"I'm sorry kid," Bill said without looking away from the Smoker, "But those are the last badages we have. We had to use the rest on the Smoker's face." Both Bill and Louis finally got up, revealing the Infected's face covered in almost all the badage wraps they had, including some for the Smoker's wrists.

"Can I amputate it's leg now?" Francis had to duck to avoid the small roll of bandages Zoey threw at him.

"You're not going to amputate his leg!" She turned away from a snickering Francis and back to Bill and Louis. "Guys, are there any needles and string over there? At least I'll still be able to stitch up his leg."

As Louis went to grab the supplies for Zoey, Bill sat down in a nearby armchair and lit up another cigarrette. After a few puffs, he sighed and stated, "We can't stay here for long. This place is not equipped with enough food and there's no water coming out of the sinks. Whoever was here last also must've taken any real medical equipment we could've used. We're gonna have to find another safe house. Or if we're lucky, a safe zone."

Zoey looked up from her stitchwork with a look of pity in her eyes. "What about these two though? Are we just gonna leave them here?"

"Oh, stop worrying so much about them! They'll be back on their feet trying to kill us in no time!"

"...Shut up Francis." Bill honestly didn't want to deal with this immature child right now. "We could try to take them with us, but if we come across a safe zone, we're gonna have to let them go. There's just no way they'll be allowed to follow us in."

Zoey nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to the Hunter, who was now staring at her curiously. "You understand that I'm trying to help you right? I'm not here to hurt you."

She had fully expected her words to be heard on deaf ears, but a small nod from the Hunter made not only her, but the other three look on in astonishment.

"It...it understood you..." Louis muttered mostly to himself.

Bill immediately got up from the chair and stood over Zoey and the Hunter, steely blue eyes meeting feral red ones. "You understand us?"

The Hunter seemed more hesitant this time, due to the fact that now everyone was eyeing him. He fidgeted a bit, almost causing Zoey to prick him with the needle. After a few seconds though, he nodded again.

Bill bent down so that he was at eye level with the Infected and asked, "Do you know the way out of this forest?"

The Hunter eyed the human before breaking eye contact and lifted a clawed finger to point out the window. Louis, being the closest to the specified window, went over and looked outside. "Guys! There's a dirt trail leading away from the forest! That's our ticket out of here!" After squinting his eyes a little, Louis added, "I also see tire tracks and they look pretty fresh."

Bill got up and moved over to the window, peering out as well. "Well, it looks like we not only found our way out of this forest, but we might've also just found out where the monster who tortured them went." The veteran turned back to look at Zoey and the Hunter only to notice that the Smoker was awake and studying all of them, it's good eye landing on him last. After a few moments of brief silence, Bill extended a hand over to the Smoker. "Will you lead us to the person who did this to you?"

The Smoker stared at the outstretched hand in front of him before looking back up at Bill and grabbing his hand with a firm grip. The veteran pulled the Infected off the couch and waited until the Smoker was stable on his feet before turning back to look at Zoey and the Hunter.

"Hurry up with that stitching Zoey. We have a lot of ground to cover in a very short span of time."

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**Author's notes - **Okay, so maybe its not much longer than the last chapter, but hey, its something. Besides, now I get to write about the confrontation that's gonna happen in the next chapter! Ooooh suspense!

**-RulerofFire**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes - **Here it is! The Confrontation! Reviews are what got me this far, keep em' coming! :)

**Disclaimer - **Nope, still don't own Left 4 Dead.

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After raiding the house for all it was worth and patching the two Infected up as best they could, the four survivors ventured back outside, mindful of the traps that could still be laying around. After about fifteen minutes of making sure there were no more bear traps hidden on the ground, Bill turned back to the front door of the farmhouse, where both the Smoker and Hunter had stayed the entire time watching all their movements carefully. With a nod of his head, Bill motioned for the two Infected to come out indicating it was safe.

The Smoker stepped outside first, wary of the barbed wire fence that still held it's old tongue hostage within the barbs. The survivors watched as he wandered over to the trail and looked down the road the truck had gone down, sniffing the air before giving off a short cough and immitating Bill by nodding his head down the forest trail.

The Hunter was a bit more hesitant to leave the house, but managed to limp out and get back on all fours, careful to not put any weight on his stitched up ankle. He crouched low to the ground, the tell-tale sign he was going to jump, and leapt from behind the group over to a sturdy low hanging tree branch. The landing was a bit awkward and almost cost him his balance, but he managed to right himself and follow the Smoker from the relative safety of the trees.

"Alright people, let's move out!" Bill commanded.

"Yeah, and don't lose sight of the Infected that could turn around and kill us at any given moment. We wouldn't want to lose our guides."

Zoey gave Francis a hard shove from behind, ignored his 'Ow! What was that for?' remark, and followed the Infected out of the perimeter of the farmhouse and into more wilderness.

After about two hours of walking and listening to Francis complain that he 'Hated walking' and hearing the 'Are we there yet?' question for the tenth time in the last hour, the group finally had to take a break, if only to shut the whining biker up.

As soon as they caught their breath though, the Hunter's growling brought them all back to attention and they quickly looked around, trying to find where the Hunter had stalked off.

The Smoker's coughing brought their attention to up in the trees, where both the Hunter and Smoker were perched on nearby branches and communicating with each other through a series of low growls and snarls.

"Great, I bet they're trying to decide what would be the best way to kill us. Or who they should kill first. It had better be you old man, since letting them follow us was your idea."

Bill ignored the remarks Francis was making and focused on the expressions of both Infected. If he had learned anything in his life, it was reading facial expressions was the key to figuring out a person's true intentions. What these Infected's faces were displaying were not signs of malice or aggression towards them, but rather fear and uncertainty towards whatever was out in the clearing up ahead. Bill guessed they were 'talking' to each other about what they should do. Attack or stay back?

"Stay close people. I have a feeling we're not gonna like whatever's in that clearing up ahead."

It only took a few steps into the clearing to realize two things: The Hunter and Smoker weren't following them anymore, and they weren't the only survivors. Someone was banging on something metal a few yards ahead of them.

Louis leaned in and whispered, "We couldn't have reached the safe zone yet right? We would have seen the army by now."

Zoey nodded and pointed in the direction of the banging, "It sounds like only one person is here, not an army."

Bill pulled the safety back on his assault rifle, readying for anything that might be lurking down the short hill that seperated them from the source of the Infected's fear.

Before they could reach the top of the hill though, a voice called out to them, "Hey, is anybody up there? I could really use a hand with this here engine!"

When they finally made their way to the top of the hill, they all looked down to find a pickup truck with its engine giving off noxious clouds of smoke, and a human waving away the smoke with a dirty rag. An cooler and a few empty beer bottles were scattered throughout the area and a sawed-off shotgun lay discarded near the human's feet, numerous empty ammo shells also depicting a recent battle with a horde most likely.

"Hey there folks!" The man called and waved the group over to him. "Do'ya think ya'll could help me fix my truck? She overheated when I tried runnin' her through a horde." He pointed to the lake behind him. "Had to dump all the bodies in there before any of them special Infected sniffed em' out and came gunnin' for me."

The survivors quickly glanced at each other before making their way down the hill towards the stranded survivor. He seemed decent enough, but there was something...odd in the way he spoke about the horde. It almost sounded like he had _enjoyed _throwing the bodies into the lake...

"So, what brings ya'll down this trail? Not many people know about it." The man said, making conversation as another plume of smoke shot up from the engine.

Bill didn't put his gun down, but directed the man to pour some of the melted ice from the cooler onto the engine. "We just wandered down this trail looking for the safe zone. You don't happen to know where it is do you?"

The man stopped dumping the cooler's contents onto the trucks engine and looked at the group with mild skeptisism in his eyes, "The safe zone is about ten miles straight ahead, just keep followin' the trail and ya'll should eventually come to the army's outpost. Pretty secure there last I heard." He closed the hood on the truck, picked up the discarded shotgun and slung it over his shoulder, obviously at ease with the newcomers. "Hey, you said yous all came down this trail? Did'ya happen to pass a couple of tied up Infected along the way?"

Bill's distrust for this man was growing by the minute. Before he could answer though, Francis cut in, "Yeah we saw em'. A Hunter and a Smoker right?"

The man grinned and nodded, "Yep, that's them! Heh, they were tryin' to sneak up on me the other night, so I turned their little ambush against them with an ambush of my own. Set up bear traps and a barbed wire fence and just let em' come to me! Ah, felt like the good ol' days when the game around here were dumb enough to fall for traps like those." He let a brief haze pass over his face, a sign that he was thinking about the past, before asking, "Did ya'll leave them there, or didja shoot em'?"

"We, uh, we didn't shoot them...and we kinda didn't leave them there..." Zoey stammered.

It took the man a few seconds to realize, "Ya'll let them go? WHY? I mean, they'll just be huntin' for ya anyway, why bother lettin' em' go? Do ya'll have a death wish?"

Before anyone could reply to the man's questions, Francis surprised everyone by speaking up, "Listen bud, I might not like those sweatshirt wearin' wusses or those walking smokeclouds, but even I'm not gonna let them die there all tied up. If a man goes down, he goes down fighting, not tied up to some fence."

There was a statrtled silence from everyone, especially the group, for a few moments before the man started chuckling quietly, gradually getting louder the more he laughed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! Wait, so you're tellin' me that you still believe these...these _things_ to be somewhat human? HA! That's a good one! Listen kid, these beasts don't give a shit if you save them or not. They'll still come for ya and when you're pinned down and got no help around, they'll tear ya apart and kill ya. That's the way it is now, so ya better start gettin' used to it."

This time Bill stepped forward, intent on giving this man a piece of his mind, "Now you listen here _kid_, these Infected aren't beasts. They're humans like you and me. All their suffering from is a bad case of Rabies, or in other words, a disease. Just because its corrupted some of their brain, doesn't mean they aren't any less human. I believe that if we can convince them that they're not mindless savages, society might have a small chance to correct itself."

The man just stared at Bill for a few seconds before bursting out into fits of laughter once more.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** Has old age made you mental old man? These here freaks are all that's left of our screwed up society! There ain't no savin' it by feelin' sorry for these things. The best thing we can do now is shoot all these monsters and make this world somewhat safe again."

"Then how 'bout we start with YOU?" Francis said as he, Zoey, Louis, and Bill all raised their guns.

The man quickly pulled his own gun off his back and started backing away, only to be blocked by his own truck. "Whoa now, no need to bring out the big guns! Let's just slowly step away from each other, and part ways and we won't have to deal with each other anymore. Sound good?" He was already starting to inch his way to the driver's side.

Bill glanced behind him before turning back to the retreating man with a small smirk on his face, "Alright, we'll part ways. But don't expect us to help you if you get snatched by a Smoker."

"Or pounced on by a Hunter." Zoey said catching Bill's drift.

"Psh, I can take care of myself just fine thanks. Now if ya'll excuse me..." He climbed into the driver's seat and shut the door. "...I got a safe zone to get to." He turned the key to start the ignition.

Nothing happened.

"Wh-what? What's going on? The engine ain't overheated no more!"

The group of four started backing away from the car, all of them now knowing what was about to take place.

"Oh, maybe I forgot to mention that you shouldn't pour ice cold water onto your engine directly, or else it'll freeze the inside and you'd have to wait til it thaws out."

"So your truck ain't overheated. Just frozen." Francis laughed, actually impressed with's Bill's knowledge of engines.

The man just stared at them in utter shock before his expression morphed into one of rage. "Ya'll just crossed a line ya never shoulda crossed by messin with my truck. NO ONE messes with my truck!" He yanked the shotgun off of the passenger's seat and aimed it specifically at Bill.

Before he could pull the trigger, the shriek of a Hunter filled the area with a Smoker's coughing following close behind.

"What the-?" The man turned to his left just in time to see a dark figure soar through the air and crash through the window directly onto the passenger seat next to him. He couldn't even contemplate what was happening before a Smoker's tongue shot out from the trees and wrapped around his neck. With a sharp tug, the shotgun went flying out of the window as both of his hands grasped the tongue, trying desperately to stop the appendage from strangling him.

Bill walked close enough to the truck so the man could hear him, "You remember these two don't you? They're the Smoker and Hunter you thought you had left for dead back at your farmhouse." The Smoker's tongue wrapped tighter around the man's neck, his face already starting to turn a shade of blue due to lack of air. The Hunter growled threateningly at the man and started flexing its claws. Bill turned and motioned for his team to follow him towards the main trial so they could continue onward to the safe zone. Before proceeding though, he looked to the Infected and calmly said, "Show the monster no mercy."

"HEEEEEEELP!"

The monster's scream was overshadowed by the Hunter's furious roar as he dug his claws into his prey's throat, chest, and stomach. The Smoker even getting a few good punches in to the head. The attack going on until nothing but a gorey mess was all that was left of the man in the seat of his own truck.

And all the while the Survivors continued forward, not daring to look back once.

* * *

**Author's Notes - **And that was the confrontation between the survivors, the Infected, and the man that started it all! Hope you all enjoyed this (slightly longer) chapter! And now stay tuned for the last chapter, coming soon!

**-RulerofFire**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes - **Thanks for all the support on this story everybody! And special thanks to _ChristianDuchess-91 _for the awesome fanart! If you all want to see it, check out the favs on my DeviantArt or just check out her page_ Albo-Beati7_.

If this chapter seems a bit rushed and not nearly as good as the others, its probably because I'm tired from work and my mind feels like mush right now. But, I'm writing this while my brain is running on empty, so hopefully I gave it some potontal...wtf did I just write? Potential, yeah that's what I was going for. Need brain fooooooooood...

And now for the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer - **For the last time, I don't own anything Left 4 Dead related.

* * *

_'All we want to do is eat your brains  
We're not unreasonable, I mean no one's gonna eat your eyes  
All we want to do is eat your brains  
We're at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise  
If you open up the door  
We'll all come inside an eat your brains!'_

"What the hell are you listening to Francis?" Bill scoffed as he came outside on the patio where Francis had busied himself with listening to an old satellite radio. He handed the biker a bottle of water and sat down in a lawn chair next to him.

"I don't know," Francis mumbled, opening the bottle and chugging it halfway, "Just came on. It's not like there's anything else on. Or anything to do around here."

The four survivors had kept walking and hadn't looked back ever since leaving the Hunter and Smoker to take care of the monster that had once been a human being. They eventually came across an abandoned army camp, still heavily fortified and stocked with plenty of leftover supplies of food water, and army apparel. It didn't take them long to make themselves at home in the log cabin that, after searching through all the rooms, they found out had once belonged to the commander of this small outpost. It had been a week since they left the deep part of the forest and were now living in relative peace at the very edge of the woods.

It was Zoey who first discovered the showers ran water, lukewarm as it was, and promptly spent the rest of their first day in the cabin in the shower, getting every speck of dirt and grime off of her and washing her hair repeatedly until she was satisfied that it wasn't one big rat's nest anymore. Presently though, she was in the lookout tower on the roof, more or less having appointed herself the group's lookout.

Louis had been busying himself with tinkering with the various radios around the cabin as well as making more than enough pipe bombs to last them a good while. He was currently trying to boost the signal of the only working radio, the one Francis was occupied with, by building a portable signal amplifier with parts from the other non-working radios.

Francis had raided every tent and picked up anything he thought might be useful, while Bill checked all of their invetory and made sure they had enough supplies to last a considerable time.

So far, they were all living normal lives again.

"Did you find anything other than this music on the radio?" Bill asked, hoping Francis had done something useful with his spare time.

"Nah, its all static. This is the only station that works and its just really this song on repeat. Its pretty funny actually."

Bill sighed and silently hoped Louis would finish that signal booster quickly as the chorus came on once again. During one verse though, his ears picked up something faint, not from the song, but near the entrance of the outpost. It almost sounded like...coughing?

"Turn that radio down for a minute!" Bill ordered as he got up and marched off the patio, his hand hovering above the pistol he still kept with him at all times.

Francis turned the radio down before calling for Zoey to get down off the roof and for Louis to come outside. Both emerged a minute later and followed Francis after Bill, stopping near the entrance and asking what was going on.

"Ia thought I heard a Smoker." Bill explained, looking around the barred doors and trying to catch a glimpse of the distinctive smoke cloud.

"Come on Bill, there's no Infected around these parts. We're safe here!" Louis said optimistically.

Bill made a disgruntled sound before moving to go back to the house. Not even two steps away from the door, the Smoker cough made itself heard by not only Bill the time, but to the other three as well.

"Alright, I heard that one." Zoey stated, her hands reaching for her pistols.

All four were now on guard knowing there was a Smoker somewhere outside. It shouldn't have mattered since the base's walls were impenetrable, except maybe for a Tank, but the Smoker was the first Infected they had heard around the woods for pretty much the entire week. If there was one Infected, there was sure to be more out there.

As if on cue, a Hunter's snarl also came from behind the enforced walls, quiet, but sounding dangerously close.

"Okay old man, we believe you now. So what's the plan?" Francis asked while loading his shotgun.

Bill looked through the bars of the door and didn't answer until he saw the infamous smoke clouda few yards away. "We'll all go out and take care of these Infected. Just to be safe, Louis, throw a few pipe bombs into the woods. Ready?"

With a nod from everyone, Bill opened the steel door and cautiously stepped out into the open. He could still see the Smoker's smoke cloud in the trees, but the Hunter was nowhere to be found. Even its growling had stopped.

"Careful people, I don't hear that Hunter anymore."

"Come on out wussy!"

"Francis! Would you be-"

Zoey's outburst was cut off as a shriek filled the air and a black figure soared towards and pounced on Zoey. Guns immediately pointed towards the Hunter, but before anyone could Fire, Zoey held her hands up. "Wait!"

It took a few seconds for the men to realize that the Hunter wasn't attacking Zoey, and something else was off.

The Hunter's hood was down.

A pale face was covered by shaggy black hair, while its bangs draped over its piercing red eyes. And on its right leg was medical gauze.

"Holy shit," muttered Francis, slowly lowering his gun, "That's...the Hunter from..." He couldn't finish, too startled by what he was witnessing.

The Smoker coughed once more before jumping down from the trees and revealing himself to the group as well. His face didn't have the bandages on it anymore, and the flesh seemed to have regenerated, minus the tumors. He looked a lot more normal, if not for the long tongue hanging from his mouth. In his right hand though, was a bloody, empty, sawed-off shotgun, to which he promptly tossed towards the group with it landing at Bill's feet.

The Hunter crawled off Zoey and stood next to the Smoker, both of them looking at the Survivors expectantly. Bill picked up the shotgun and examined it while Louis helped Zoey back on her feet.

"Well Bill," Francis started while slinging his shotgun over his shoulder, "I think we need a new plan."

* * *

_'All we want to do is eat your brains  
We're not unreasonable, I mean no one's gonna eat your eyes  
All we want to do is eat your brains  
We're at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise  
If you open up the door  
We'll all come inside an eat your brains!'_

"Francis! Would you turn that radio off already? That song is getting old!"

"It's not nearly as old as you Bill!"

"Seriously Francis, that song makes me want to shoot you dead right here, right now!"

"I want to see you try grandpa!"

"Would you both _please_ keep quiet! I'm trying to work here!"

The arguing men glanced over at Louis hunched over the workbench before glaring at each other and sitting back down in the lawn chairs. They continued doing what they had been doing for the past few days; sitting on the patio and keeping an eye on the Hunter and Smoker that were currently at the far end of the base with Zoey.

Zoey had been all for letting the Hunter and Smoker into the base. Louis had been alright with the idea too, but didn't like the idea of the Infected sleeping in the same cabin as them. Francis had called Bill crazy (which wasn't exactly a surprise), and reluctantly agreed to clear out one of the storage tents for their new guests to sleep in. Said guests had made themselves at home almost immediately and that had given Bill an opportunity to study them both without all the scientific poking and prodding. It was a win-win for both sides.

Until the supplies started dwindling.

The Hunter's extremely high metabolism wasn't helping the situation, as he had to keep eating in order to burn the calories to run and jump. The Smoker wasn't much of a problem, but Bill had learned to keep his pack of cigarrettes out of reach of the Infected, having witnessed the thieving Smoker steal and use one of his precious cancer-sticks.

Francis had, of course, blamed Bill for the shortage first, and then argued that there would still be more food if the Infected weren't there. He would've won the argument too, if Louis hadn't announced that he was really close to completing the radio amplifier and that it should be ready by 'this time tomorrow'.

It was nearly Louis's 'deadline', as Francis called it, and everyone was getting anxious. If they could boost the radio receiver's power, then they would be able to locate another army stronghold and move on there. The problem would be allowing the Hunter and Smoker to enter the safe zone...

"It's finished!"

Both Bill and Francis nearly fell out of their chairs at Louis's sudden outburst, but managed to catch themselves just in time to see Louis sprint out of the cabin with a small rectangular device in his hands. He dashed over to the now-turned-off radio and started tinkering with it for a few minutes, while Bill whistled for Zoey and the two Infected to come back to the cabin. In the few minutes it took for Zoey, the Hunter and the Smoker to make it back, Louis had rewired the radio and successfully boosted the signal.

Bill grabbed the nearby reciever and tried making a connection on it, "Hello? Hello, is anyone out there? Can anyone read me?"

"Say your a cop, that always works."

"Be quiet Francis. Is anyone out there?"

After a few moments of silence on the other end, a faint sound was heard before the definite sound of engines in the background came aloud. Seconds later, a voice came through, "Hello? Are you there? We have received your call, over."

"We hear you loud and clear! We are currently at an army outpost somewhere on the outskirts of the woods, over."

"Copy that. How many of you are there?"

Bill paused and looked towards the Hunter and Smoker. After a moment, he replied, "Six. There are six of us here and that includes myself."

"Roger that. We'll send an armored truck to come pick you all up. Over and out."

As soon as Bill put down the receiver, he was asked the question he didn't want to answer at the moment. "So, what are we going to do about them?"

Before Bill could even attempt to answer that dreaded question, both the Hunter and Smoker perked up and started growling and coughing dangerously. The group could tell it wasn't directed at them, but the low warning growl of the Hunter and loud wheezing of the Smoker made it obvious that something else wass aggitating them.

"Get your guns ready and loaded people. It seems this fight ain't over yet."

* * *

**Author's Notes - **Okay sooo, maybe this wasn't the last chapter. The next chapter will DEFINITELY be the last chapter! Maybe...I don't know anymore.

Anywho, the song in this chapter is _Re:Your Brains _by Jonathan Coulton, which can be heard by playing the jukeboxes in L4D2. It's an awesome song, but be warned...sometimes it alerts the horde.

Remember, reviews make me a happy person, which in turn makes me write these chapters out faster! :D

**-RulerofFire**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes - **Jeez, this ending chapter took me long enough! I apologize for the extremely long wait, writer's block just had me writing drabbles for what seemed like forever.

I'm back. With the ending. For real this time. So enjoy.

**Disclaimer - **And now, for the last time, I don't own Left 4 Dead.

* * *

Even after the food and supplies had been packed, and all the guns had been reloaded, the survivors still felt uneasy leaving the outpost they had called home for the past week. This was most likely because the two Infected traveling with them hadn't stopped growling ever since the call with the army went through earlier. It made everyone cautious going back out into the woods, knowing somewhere out there, something was aggitating two of the most dangerous special Infected the virus had mutated. The only thing that would have this kind of affect on them would have to be a Tank, and that was an Infected they did _not_ want to encounter. So far however, there hadn't been a sound in the forest that would give away a Tanks position. No thundering footsteps or angry grunting. Not even a cave the behemoth could be hiding in. The forest was as quiet and peaceful as it had been during their week long stay.

Bill didn't trust the silence.

Over time, the Hunter and Smoker's growling/coughing had grown more frequent, the Hunter even pacing on all fours in front of them, getting antsy the farther they traveled down the forest trail. The Smoker had been producing more smoke than usual, which had caused Francis to push him off the trail away from everyone (or just himself) to keep from suffocating. Currently, the Smoker was power-walking alongside the Hunter, using his height to his advantage and peering out over the bushes to see what was beyond them.

Whatever he saw made him stop in his tracks.

The survivors caught up to their infected companions and halted alongside them as well. Bill made the signal to keep quiet and listen carefully. The Smoker hadn't made a sound since he stopped, but it took a small kick from Francis to make the Hunter stop growling for a few moments. Bill looked between both Infected before shifting his gaze towards the bushes. Whatever they found behind these bushes would tell them exactly what had bothered the Hunter and Smoker so much.

The distant sound of human voices finally reached their ears, as well as the sound of revving car engines. The army had finally made it to the forest it seemed. They were so close to being rescued...

Bill gave the signal to follow him, pointing to the bushes to indicate the direction. When the team started moving towards their potential rescue though, the Smoker gave a quiet cough and backed away a few paces, clearly not wanting to go ahead any farther. The Hunter stood up on two legs and backed up as well, copying the Smoker's actions.

"Guess it's for the best," Bill stated to the Infected, "The army would have shot you two on sight anyway." He turned his attention back to his team and nodded to continue forward. With one last glance back at the two Infected, the four survivors worked their way through the thick brush to the awaiting army on the other side, not noticing the nervous glances the Infected gave each other.

What the survivors came upon seemed more disturbing than the tortured Infected. The army they had relied upon to get them out of the area was currently trying to keep a Tank from escaping the chains wrapped around its entire body. The more it struggled, the tighter the soldiers pulled on the chains, earning pained grunts from the large Infected. How they hadn't heard the Tank earlier became clear when a soldier on top of the Tank yanked at some of the chains near its head, revealing a makeshift gag stuffed messily down its throat. A line of soldiers surrounding the Tank stood with their weapons ready and poised to shoot the Infected down if it managed to escape. The worst part was the Tank seemed to have stopped struggling, its strength drained trying to escape the soldiers trap. The soldiers continued to pull and prod at it though, as if taunting the beast wasn't humiliating enough.

"Not again..." Bill sighed, his burnt out cigarrette dropping to the ground as he spoke.

"Old man, if you even THINK about saving a _Tank_, I swear I'm gonna-"

**"Stay right where you are and drop your weapons!"**

All four looked ahead to see the group of soldiers turning their guns towards them and ignoring the Tank. The soldier who had spotted them came closer, his gun aimed directly at Bill. "I said, drop your weapons!"

With much reluctance, all four dropped their weapons and put their hands up in surrender. Francis, not one to be told what to do by authority, dropped his hands after a few moments and pointed at the soldier, "You the guys we contacted earlier? The ones who said they were gonna send an armoured truck to come get us?"

The soldiers lowered their weapons in realization that these were the survivors whom they had been contacted by a short time ago. The commander dropped his gun to his side and motioned for the four of them to follow him.

"Sorry about that. You can't really trust anything that moves nowadays. Hey, didn't you guys say there were six of you? Where are the other two?"

Bill didn't miss a beat when he replied, "They were ambushed by a Hunter and Smoker while we were heading over here. Unfortuantely, both Infected managed to escape."

The soldier seemed to buy the lie and he waved it off, "Well, can't save everybody right? And if those freaks know what good for them, they'll stay clear of this place. These soldiers ain't in the mood for dealing with any more Infected at the moment." He gestured at the Tank and continued, "Caught this big fella by surprise by ramming the armoured truck right into its backside! Put up a bit of a fight, but once the chains were on, it had no chance. We were actually gonna have a bit of fun with the brainless oaf as soon as we rescued you guys, but it looks like we get to start the party early!"

All the soldiers raised their weapons in victory over their capture and proceeded to take turns beating the Tanks head in with the butt of their guns. The four survivors could do nothing but watch as the helpless Tank was beaten senseless by the army personel, all of whom were laughing and joking around the entire time.

"Bill, I'm not saying we should free the Tank, but shouldn't we try getting them to stop? I mean, this is just..." Zoey couldn't even finish, too horrified at the sight before her.

"I'm sorry Zoey, but I don't think there's anything we can do this time. The best we can do right now is wait for them to be done and then let them take us out of this godforsaken forest." He pulled another cigarrette out of his pocket and lit it.

"This is why I hate the army."

"For once, I'm gonna agree with you Francis."

"Why thank you Louis! See Bill? I'm not the only one who hates the army!"

Bill couldn't even manage to make a snarky comment back at Francis. He was just too drained from all the events that happened in the course of the week. A tortured Hunter and Smoker, the death of the monster who had tortured them, and now this. The army having the time of their lives beating a Tank into a bloody mess. Did the world go to hell when the virus spread? Or was it always this bad? The human beings they had lived alongside their entire lives...were they the real monsters all along?

"Alright men, I think the brute has had enough. Pull back!"

All the soldiers pulled away from the beaten Tank, some getting one last hit in before stepping back. The commander of the squad stepped forward with a lit molotav in his hand.

"Okay men, our mission is to get these survivors back to the safe zone in one piece! So let's get moving!"

After hearing the resounding 'Yes sir!' from his men, the commander held the molotav out to Bill, "So, you want to put an end to this thing?"

The war veteran stared at the burning bottle before shaking his head and turning away. The commander offered the molotav to the other three, surprised by the declined offer by all of them (Especially the biker. He looked like the rebel type). After he was refused by Zoey, he merely shrugged his shoulder and remarked, "Fine, I'll do it. Time to burn this bitch down!"

As soon as he threw the molotav, Bill remembered something troubling about Tanks. They were already fast and strong, but when set ablaze, Tanks seemed to have an adrenaline rush as their strength and speed increased tenfold. But then that would mean...

As soon as the Flames spread over the Tanks seemingly lifeless body, its eyes snapped open and immediately began thrashing in the chains.

"Sir! The Tank! It's still alive!"

The soldiers could only stare in utter disbelief as the Tank ripped through its chains with ease, before rearing its head back and spitting out the gag, a furious roar overpowering the noise of the trucks engine. While the soldiers just stared at the Tank they had thought to be dead, the four survivors ran over to their guns and got ready to Fire when the Tank started to charge.

"What are you idiots doing? Get your military asses in gear and shoot the Tank!" Francis shouted at the still staring soldiers.

Before the soldiers could make a move however, the Tank charged forward, stampeding towards the group of terrified military men, fully intending on ramming the truck as they had done to him. The survivors watched as the Tank hit the armoured truck with all of its adrenaline induced strength, sending the soldiers flying into the air and crashing down hard onto the ground. The four took the opportunity to begin Firing at the still raging Tank, knowingly putting themselves at risk not for the army men, but for themselves. This Tank had already taken quite a beating, but that didn't stop it from charging towards its new targets with as much fury as a bull seeing red. The survivors all dodged out of the way and continued shooting the Flaming Tank, being careful to avoid its vicious swings and charges, and trying to avoid getting burned by the spreading Fire on the ground as well.

"What's the plan Bill? We're gonna run out of ammo if we keep this up!" Louis shouted, reloading and dodging a swing from the massive Flaming fist.

Bill put a few more rounds into the Tank's backside before noticing the armoured truck didn't appear to be damaged other than the giant dent in the side. If they could only make it over there without the Tank running after them, then they might have a chance at escaping. There was no way they were gonna be able to outrun a Tank this angry without a distraction though.

Zoey had backed herself up against a tree, unable to move, completely out of ammo, and watching in horror as the Tank came straight for her, rage burning in its eyes as it came closer with each thunderous step. She closed her eyes, waiting for the bone-shattering blow...that never came. She looked up and saw what appeared to be a Smoker's tongue wrapped around the Tank's fist, preventing the giant Infected from finishing her off.

"Zoey, move NOW!"

She didn't need to be told twice as she bolted away from the Tank, looking back only to see the Tank grab the tongue and pull it forward, revealing the Smoker in the trees and pulling him to the ground. The Tank turned his attention back to the group of humans and got ready to charge them once again. Before a Hunter's shriek filled the air and a black hooded figure launched itself onto the Tank's back, ignoring the Flames and digging its claws into the raw flesh.

"Those...those are the-"

"People, if we want to get out of here, we're gonna have to hightail it in the armoured truck!"

"But Bill, the Infected-"

"Zoey, they're giving us a distraction! Let's make use of it before that Tank gets the better of them!"

As if on cue, the Tank rammed itself against a tree, crushing the Hunter and making him drop to the ground unconcious. Before the Tank could go for the humans yet again, the Smoker's tongue shot out and wrapped around it's legs, tripping it and sending it sprawling onto the ground.

Francis, Louis, and Zoey clambered into the back of the truck while Bill climbed into the driver's seat. With one last look at the fighting trio of Infected, Bill gave a salute before closing the door and starting up the engine.

The Smoker glanced over with his good eye at the retreating humans, before shooting another tongue at the weakening Tank. At this rate, the Tank would be dead soon, nintey percent of its body already covered in blisters and peeling dead skin. Although, even with the threat of the Tank gone, there was no way the Smoker and Hunter were going to get out of the clearing alive. The Fire from the molotav had spread too far, too fast, and any exit that was present before was now engulfed by a sea of Flames.

The Tank let out a weak roar before using the last of its strength to pull the Smoker forward and into the Flames covering its body. The Smoker didn't resist as the Flames made their way onto his body as well. If he was going to die right here, he might as well take a Tank with him. The Hunter let out a yelp as he regained conciousness, surprised by the Flames that hadn't been there the last time he was awake. He looked over to his now burning comrade, who in turn gave the Hunter a nod, letting him know that the humans were safe now. The Hunter nodded back before pulling his hood back and letting out one last shriek as the surrounding Flames closed in on him.

"I can't believe those Infected guys actually came back to help us..." Francis was stunned speechless as he recapped what had just happened.

"You see Francis? What comes around goes around! We saved them, and they saved us!"

"Yeah, they saved us Louis, but don't you think we could've tried helping them? We still had ammo."

"Zoey, I'm sorry but there was no way we were gonna make it out of there alive with what little ammo we had left. If it wasn't for those two, we'd probably all be dead. Either by that Tank or that spreading wildFire."

Zoey nodded in understanding, but still didn't feel right about leaving the Hunter and Smoker with the Tank. "I hope they at least got out of there alright."

Bill chanced a look through the side mirror, seeing nothing but a deep plume of smoke rising up in the sky. He doubted the Infected had gotten out alive, but it was best not to tell Zoey. She was already so emotional as it was.

The rest of the ride went by in silence, each thinking of what awaited them once they got to the army safe zone without the soldiers accompanying them...at least most of them were thinking that thought.

"Are we there yet?"

* * *

**Author's Notes - **Done. 'No Mercy' has finally ended! And it only took a few months of laziness and writer's block to think up a proper final chapter.

I hope you all can forgive the capitalized 'F's...I just can't help myself...

The ending isn't the best, I know, but I had to wrap it up at some point, and Francis seemed like the perfect character to end with.

So, I hope you all enjoyed reading! Let me know how much you loved the story in the reviews!

**-RulerofFire**


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